Sports category, Page 2154
First Call: Terry Bradshaw’s new reality show, Myles Garrett update, Penguins trade talk
Thursday’s “First Call” features a new venture for Terry Bradshaw, updates on the Myles Garrett and the New England Patriots video-taping controversies, and trade talk surrounding the Penguins. Here’s some irony Over the last few decades, I think many Steelers fans have questioned Terry Bradshaw’s views on reality. Now, in...
WPIAL releases football schedules for 2020 season
The loudest complaints from WPIAL football teams were about travel and blowouts. So the WPIAL released schedules Thursday for the 2020 and ‘21 seasons tailored specifically to address those concerns, WPIAL associate executive director Amy Scheuneman said. The schedules differ from years past because the WPIAL handpicked most nonconference opponents...
New Pirates braintrust Ben Cherington, Derek Shelton adjusting to new MLB rules
A new management team and new manager will have to navigate new MLB rules during their first season in charge of the Pittsburgh Pirates. MLB is the midst of a dramatic, if gradual, reshaping of decades-long rules practices. For the 2020 season, the most notable of these changes is active...
Former NFL scout previews Super Bowl, player-prop bets, Steelers draft, Hall of Fame
The Super Bowl between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs is Sunday. So let’s get an educated breakdown from my “ESPN Pittsburgh” radio colleague Matt Williamson. He joined me on “105.9 the X” Monday, when I filled in for Mark Madden. As a former NFL scout, Matt has...
U mad, bro? Some Pirates fans bash Starling Marte trade. Others bash Tim Benz for bashing it.
This week’s “U mad, bro?” was easy. Everybody was mad about the Pirates trading Starling Marte to the Arizona Diamondbacks for two 19-year-old prospects, who are years away from making their big-league debuts. You are either mad about the trade. Or you are mad at those being critical of it....
Duquesne’s Keith Dambrot makes plea for increased fan support
In a season where the displaced Duquesne basketball team is playing so-called home games in three different venues around Allegheny County, a crowd of 7,001 showed up Wednesday night at PPG Paints Arena. It was loud. It was engaged. And many of those in attendance made the four-hour drive from...
No. 12 West Virginia loses at Texas TechVideo
LUBBOCK, Texas — Davide Moretti had a career-high 25 points and a pair of Texas Tech freshmen also scored more than 20 as the Red Raiders snapped a two-game losing streak with an 89-81 win over No. 12 West Virginia on Wednesday night. Terrence Shannon Jr. added 23 points, including...
Lamar Stevens leads No. 24 Penn State over IndianaVideo
UNIVERSITY PARK — Lamar Stevens scored nine of his 17 points in the second half and grabbed nine rebounds to lead No. 24 Penn State over Indiana, 64-49, on Wednesday night. Curtis Jones Jr. scored 12 points for the Nittany Lions (15-5, 5-4 Big Ten), who won their third straight...
Minor league report: Alex D’Orio leads Nailers past Admirals
Goaltender Alex D’Orio made 27 saves for the Wheeling Nailers in a 2-1 home win against the Norfolk Admirals at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling on Wednesday. Forwards Cam Brown and Brady Fleurent scored goals for the Nailers (19-18-5-0). Highlights: The Nailers’ next game is at home against the Orlando Solar...
Game Photos: Duquesne drops close game to No. 7 Dayton
Duquesne fell short on Wednesday night against No. 7 Dayton, losing 73-69 at PPG Paints Arena. The Dukes play a compelling game, rallying from 19- and 11-point deficits in the second half to trail, 71-69, in the final 34 seconds. “I’m never going to be happy when fans are happy...
Browns hire ex-Pitt, NFL QB Alex Van Pelt as offensive coordinatorVideo
CLEVELAND — New Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is hiring former Pitt and NFL quarterback Alex Van Pelt as his offensive coordinator, a person familiar with the Browns’ latest front office shakeup told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Van Pelt, who played at Pitt from 1989-92, spent the past two...
No moral victories for Duquesne in close loss to No. 7 DaytonVideo
Keith Dambrot likes to smile, have fun, tell a few jokes. But he’d be the first to take issue with any Duquesne fan in the crowd of 7,001 who left PPG Paints Arena on Wednesday night feeling good about the Dukes’ 73-69 loss to No. 7 Dayton. The game turned...
Illinois a factor as Big Ten race reaches midway pointVideo
After a dramatic victory at Michigan last weekend, Illinois coach Brad Underwood was asked about the fact his team had taken sole possession of first place in the Big Ten. “I don’t even think like that,” he said. “I’m thinking about enjoying this one for a minute and figuring out...
Kobe’s boyhood hero Oscar Schmidt celebrates ‘annoying kid’Video
SAO PAULO — For little Kobe Bryant growing up in Italy, the player who amazed him as a child was a skinny and half-bald Brazilian guard who often beat his father’s teams with long-distance shots. Oscar Schmidt, one of basketball’s all-time leading scorers with almost 50,000 points, played with Italian...
Grieving Lakers return to practice, plan to make Kobe Bryant ‘proud’Video
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers ended practice with a few somber laughs. As they left the court, they passed under the oversized 8 and 24 outlined in white on the black wall above the door to their locker room. Anthony Davis and several other Lakers paused and...
Roger Goodell: Diversity in coach/executive hirings must improveVideo
MIAMI — Stopping short of saying the Rooney Rule is not working, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday the league needs change to its minority hiring policy. Though the league requires teams to interview minority candidates, only two African-Americans have been hired for 19 open head coaching spots over the...
Top-seeded Rafael Nadal bested in epic Australian Open quarterfinalVideo
MELBOURNE, Australia — Outplayed at his own brand of physical tennis for much of the match, Rafael Nadal finally claimed a set to try to start a comeback against Dominic Thiem. Nadal marked the moment by hopping in a crouch at the baseline and vigorously pumping his right arm four...
Roger Goodell concerned with Antonio Brown’s health, not return to NFLVideo
MIAMI — The NFL’s main goal regarding the case involving receiver Antonio Brown is to help him be successful in life, commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday during a news conference. “The first thing always is to think about the well-being of Antonio, to understand what Antonio is going through,” Goodell...
Pitt assistant baseball coach mourns loss of ‘absolute gem’ in Kobe Bryant crashVideo
John Sansone doesn’t have time for social media. The Neshannock graduate could make time, but he’s more interested in getting his coaching career started in his first year as an assistant on Pitt’s baseball team. So, he didn’t immediately know what happened Sunday on a hillside in Calabasas, Calif. He...
Mark Madden: If Pirates are serious about rebuild, Josh Bell should be dealt, and soon
The Pirates got a couple of decent prospects from Arizona in exchange for outfielder Starling Marte. At 31, Marte wasn’t going to fetch much more, let alone Diamondbacks catching prospect Daulton Varsho. (Pirates fans hoped but to no avail.) The prospects acquired are both 19: High-ceiling, which translates to long-term,...
Finally healthy, Pirates reliever Nick Burdi offers intrigueVideo
Nick Burdi is not sure where. But somewhere in the Chicago-area home of the Pittsburgh Pirates reliever is a human bone. Not just any bone —Burdi’s right first rib. “I don’t know where it is now,” Burdi said with a sheepish chuckle last week at PiratesFest. “They give you a...
New Kensington native David Girardi living out Super Bowl dream with Chiefs
During the football season, David Girardi doesn’t see much sun. He arrives at work in morning darkness and leaves well after the sun goes down. Tough duty, sure, but he embraces it like found gold. This week, however, the sun is out — literally and figuratively. Girardi and his employers,...
Ex-Penguins defenseman Ulf Samuelsson still hopes to coach in NHLVideo
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Ulf Samuelsson enjoys the sleek and skilled NHL of 2020. Honest. “Obviously, more speed now,” Samuelsson said. “Skill is utilized. I think they’ve done a tremendous job with the game. I love it how fast it is.” But … “Sometimes, I wish it was a little more...
JuJu Smith-Schuster to compete with Fortnite pros in ‘Streamer Bowl’
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster may not have made it to the Super Bowl, but he’s set his sights on winning Fortnite at the Streamer Bowl. The charity video game tournament will be held Thursday in Miami, the host city of the Super Bowl. It’s organized by the NFL...
First Call: Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski explains outburst; Ray Lewis endorses Steelers’ Hall of Fame candidates
In Wednesday’s “First Call,” Mike Krzyzewski explains his odd outburst at his own student section during a win over Pitt Tuesday. Pitt football loses a legend. Shaquille O’Neal discusses the loss of Kobe Bryant. Ray Lewis and Rod Woodson endorse both Troy Polamalu and Alan Faneca for the Hall of...
